Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.

The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) vowed to open its anti-fraud centre on Facebook after its principal centre in Bangkok plus others in the provinces were shut by the authorities on Sunday.

Prayut said the NCPO was working with lawyers to consider the legal aspects against such an act, and would arrest concerned people if they were found to have broken any laws.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan also threatened to take legal action against the UDD if it disseminates distorted information on social media.

He said that UDD leader Jatuporn Prompan may continue the centre’s activities through Facebook as he had vowed earlier. “But he will be arrested if he distorts the truth,” he warned.

Police deputy spokesman Pol Maj-General Songpol Wattanachai said that national police chief General Chakthip Chaijinda had instructed the Technology Crime Suppression Division to keep an eye on the UDD’s activities online and check the content disseminated online by the group.

He urged the red-shirt group to leave it to concerned authorities to check for fraud during the voting.

In a related development, police continued to raid activities seen as a violation of the referendum law.

In Nakhon Phanom province in the Northeast, police seized a large sign with the message “Referendum must not be scuttled, no fraud and not become an embarrassment to Myanmar”. A picture of the sign, with 20 people, was posted on social media. Police said all people in the picture gave statements that former red-shirt leader Damrongsak Putsa had hired them for Bt200 each.

They were released after questioning. Police will seek an arrest warrant for Damrongsak today on charges of violating the political ban.

THE RED shirts and the prime minister both reached out yesterday to the United Nations in an apparent bid to make their case over the government decision to shut down anti-fraud centres watching over the upcoming referendum

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday called up UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to clarify the government’s decision to shut down the centres.

The centres set up by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) were banned over the weekend, prompting the UDD to file a petition over alleged human rights infringement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Bangkok.

“I told him [Ban] that there are still such movements and explained the incident in detail,” Prayut said, adding that he would dispatch representatives to meet the UN chief in person.

He said the UN chief raised concerns over freedom of speech but the PM has assured him that people across the country could express their views about the charter draft.

“I told him the problem is that some political parties do not cooperate. I asked him, ‘Was it right that some parties took part in the process then later said they disagreed?’ He did not answer but listened,” Prayut said.

OHCHR spokesman Jeremy Laurence told The Nation the organisation did not provide any suggestions to the red shirts to approach the UN headquarters over the referendum-monitoring issue.

However, red-shirt leader Weng Tojirakarn said the OHCHR had recommended that the UDD approach the UN headquarters and the European Union to request they monitor the referendum.

Laurence explained that the OHCHR had merely “pointed out” whom the UDD could approach since the OHCHR did not have a mandate to conduct activities regarding referendum monitoring. “We carry out our normal jobs such as human-rights issues,” he said.

Key UDD figures, namely Weng, Thida Thavornseth, Nattawut Saikua and its chairman Jatuporn Prompan, yesterday attended the scheduled discussion with the OHCHR’s representative over an alleged human-rights infringement regarding the junta’s suppression of dissenting voices over August’s referendum.

The latest confrontation between the red shirts and the authorities came on Sunday, when police and military officers across the country stopped the opening of the UDD’s anti-fraud centres. The UDD said they had opened 24 centres nationwide, while 30 were closed by force and the operators of another 22 centres were threatened by the authorities.

The key UDD figures revealed after the OHCHR meeting that they would file a petition directly with Ban, asking the UN to oversee the referendum process and would inform the UN of the Kingdom’s human-rights situation.

Jatuporn said the date the petition would be filed should be decided in a few days.

The key figures said they also spoke to the OHCHR about the launch of a TV show by the Election Commission (EC) to disseminate the content of the charter draft to the public.

Nattawut said the show could display bias towards voting in favour of the charter as the information it detailed would come only from the EC, the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) and groups that supported the referendum.

The UDD said it would keep the OHCHR updated on alleged rights infringements

“I don’t want the international community to interfere with domestic affairs,” Nattawut said. “I only think that the plebiscite [process] can’t go on if people don’t have freedom [to express views on it].”

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said he had insisted from the beginning that he would not allow the UDD to open the centres. If it wishes to pursue opening the centres, it should approach the EC so proper arrangements can be made, he said, adding that Jatuporn may have misunderstood the PM’s statement and thought the UDD could open the centres.

“The PM spoke in terms of legality but I made it clear that it is not possible [to set up the centres],” he said.

CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan, meanwhile, warned the UDD not to stage any movement to try and block the dissemination of the charter’s content because that would be against the law.

PRACHA RATH, or “state of the people”, began as something of a daydream, but is now turning into reality by the setting up of a company in the resort town of Phuket.

Once it is up and running smoothly, “Pracha Rath Rak Samakkee Phuket” will focus on the province’s strengths, such as tourism, agriculture and locally produced goods under the One Tambon One Product (Otop) banner.

If the venture is successful, it will become a model for several more across the country.

The project’s ultimate goal? Boosting the local economy and, hopefully, local capacities through a model “company” run as a collaboration by the government, the private sector and communities. It also aims to strengthen the overall grassroots economy, which can then strengthen the nation.

While those at the helm of the “company” cannot provide concrete answers as to what exact benefits local communities will gain, experts wonder whether this business model will actually open loopholes allowing big companies to exploit local resources, or if it will really boost communities’ capacities and give birth to successful grassroots economies.

According to Poldej Pinprateep, who is part of Pracharath Rak Samakkee as well as a member of Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak’s economic team, the Phuket company is only one of various forms such tripartite projects will take. He said the crucial difference between the models would be the degree of participation each party has, which will also be based on the local context.

To start with, the first form of Pracharath Rak Samakkee is being steered by a private firm, and in the long run this private entity is meant to slowly withdraw once local communities are strong enough to run the business themselves.

Poldej added that other forms could be social enterprises or cooperatives with more shares being held by local stakeholders such as local businesses or even entire communities. He said the business structure would depend on each organisation’s goals.

Phuket’s Pracha Rath Rak Samakkee will be overseen by Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda and Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, CEO of Thai Beverage, while local representatives will participate to ensure that local residents benefit from the venture.

However, dividends will not be paid to shareholders, but instead reinvested in the venture. This rule, authorities say, will ensure that communities are not exploited.

Yet with big shots from the private sector getting involved, it is understandable that the public is casting doubt on the project. Poldej has tried to downplay such ideas by saying that everybody should be given a chance to do good deeds.

“We have good communication, and hold regular updating and brainstorming sessions. We also hold public forums to educate people nationwide,” Poldej said, when explaining some key factors the civil sector has to deal with.

Sontirat Sontijirawong, adviser to Industry Minister Atchaka Sibunruang and a member of Somkid’s economic team, said private-sector giants do gain something from running this government-initiated business model – a better reputation.

He explained that companies could save millions and also build their names by participating in the Pracharath Rak Samakee project as they would not have to invest in separate corporate social responsibility (CSR) endeavours.

Also, the fact that the project is transparent will stop companies from exploiting local communities, otherwise they stand to lose their good name, Sontirat said.

The operation could also be controlled by regular reports submitted to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, he said, adding that participants would not be required to have specific qualifications.

“They all want to give us a hand because we can all see that Thailand has been suffering from long-standing problems,” Sontirat said. “With globalisation at our doorstep, if we don’t reform Thailand now, when will we do it?”

He also justified the use of the Pracha Rath business model, saying a foundation only serves social purposes and is rarely involved in the business side of things, while cooperatives take care of stakeholders and have little capability to drive a business compared to a company.

This is the crucial reason why a company model is best to help to steer local economy, he said, adding that the government was now working on a community enterprise bill to help cement the Pracharath Rak Samakkee idea.

Sontirat also said that this company model has a bottom-up approach by “listening” to what local people need so it could develop business strategies, market places, and science and technology.

“We have to admit that communities do not have business knowhow,” he said. “The private sector knows this side of things even better than the government does. That’s why they have been called upon to help.

“Please wait and see if this will eventually lead to local economic growth and sustainability. I assure you that we are all here to do good deeds,” Sontirat said.

However, Viroj Naranong, research director at the Thailand Development Research Institute, doubts if this non-profit company can prosper sustainably.

He said the Pracha Rath company model is designed in a very top-down manner and will be implemented very rapidly across the country. When looking at Otop enterprises or small businesses, he added, only those flourish that are in suitable conditions.

Many local non-government organisations have also voiced doubts about the venture and have not shown much interest in participating.

“The Pracha Rath Rak Samakkee blueprint has far too many flaws, which will make it very difficult to work and become sustainable in the long run,” Viroj said.

In Phetchabun, a joint security team acting on a tip-off raided a community radio station in Tambon Sadiang, Muang district. The officials instructed Sithichai Tah-art, who led 10 other red shirts, not to erect a United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) anti-fraud centre sign as planned. The sign was confiscated.

In Phuket, a joint security team removed a referendum anti-fraud sign from the top of a commercial building that was once the Thai Rak Thai coordinating centre in Phuket’s Muang district. The building’s door was locked and no one admitted to erecting the 4.5 by 2 metre sign. Witnesses said the sign was put up on Saturday at 8pm but no one knew who did it.

Colonel Kamol Osiri, superintendent of Phuket’s Muang Police Station, said police would summon the owner of the building for questioning whether he or she knew about the sign being on the building. He said police acted in response to the NCPO order banning political activities that would cause social divisions.

In Tak province, a joint security team raided a two-storey house and confiscated an anti-fraud sign that had not yet been erected. They also met UDD member Thanit Intasin, a red shirt leader in Tak, and Sommai Panit, a red shirt leader from the province’s Mae Sot district. Both were warned not to put up signs anywhere else and they were released without being charged.

In Uttaradit, UDD leaders in the province did not open an anti-fraud centre after UDD leader Pannawat Nakmul gave a press conference about events at the anti-fraud centre in Phetchabun’s Muang district. Joint security forces have been monitoring the UDD in the provinces to prevent it from setting up centres, but in rural areas of Uttaradit some houses had anti-fraud centre signs posted.

In Ratchaburi province, Theerathat Sathongkaew, a red-shirt leader in Ban Ka district, and his wife Methawee Hongmanat were summoned for talks after Theerathat erected an anti-fraud centre sign on Saturday. Methawee said officials arrived at her house early yesterday to stop them opening the centre.

In Bangkok’s Prachachuen area, 30 red shirts were about to open an anti-fraud centre when a joint security team inspected the four-storey commercial building where it was located. After a talk lasting about an hour, the red shirts dispersed without incident.

In Khon Kaen province, a joint security team inspected a two-storey building on Klang Muang Road after receiving a tip-off about the opening of an anti-fraud centre. They found the building closed but a pick-up parked in front of the building with equipment |for opening the centre.

Puthipoing Kamhaengpol, a red shirt leader, later arrived at the building. He said about 50 red shirts from other districts had planned to man the centre to ensure fairness during the referendum. But he said he had been asked not to stage any political activities and close the centre, which he did. He said he would consult on their next move.

In Trang province, red shirt leaders headed by former Pheu Thai Party MP candidates changed their mind about opening an anti-fraud centre after they were told by security officials that they would face legal action if they did.

Yossawarit Chuklom, a UDD coordinator of six Andaman provinces had planned to open a centre yesterday but the plans were cancelled.

A plan by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) to broadcast the kick-off of its referendum fraud-monitoring centres nationwide live via its “Peace TV” channel yesterday was foiled. Police stormed into the station’s studio at Imperial World shopping centre in Lat Phrao in Bangkok, to stop its activities.

The police, led by Chokchai Station chief Pol Col Supol Kamchu, told the station to stop all its activities as they would breach the National Council for Peace and Order’s ban on political gatherings of five people and more. The red-shirt activists were ordered to leave the studio before the police occupied the venue.

Jatuporn said: “Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is unreliable because the PM earlier allowed the anti-fraud centres to be set up. But eventually the junta made a U-turn and barred the red-shirt operation.”

He said although officers had occupied anti-fraud centres in Bangkok and provinces – where supporters who ran the fraud centres were arrested – the red shirts would not back down from their plan.

“The centres have been open since June 5 and will continue to gather referendum fraud complaints from the people through online channels.”

EC to monitor Facebook for ‘offences’

The Technology Crime Suppression Division, Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and the Election Committee (EC) resolved last week to set up a committee to monitor the use of online media to disseminate messages regarding the referendum. The committee also aims to suppress online offences.

National Council for Peace and Order spokesman Col Piyapong Klinpan said the NCPO and the EC were closely monitoring the UDD’s anti-fraud centre Facebook page on whether it breaks the law by inciting moves to involve the public. Piyapong said the UDD’s stepping up of its activities on social media after its centre had been shut down was not beyond what the NCPO had expected. He said the council would tread carefully taking action against the UDD’s FB page because it did not want to stir public sympathy as that is what the UDD wanted.

The UDD’s anti-fraud FB page now has 1522 ‘likes’ since it started on June 5, the same day when the centre was established at its headquarters in Lat Phrao.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai executive Chaturon Chaisang said the forced closure of the anti-fraud centres was illegitimate, as their operations were not violating any law, including the referendum bill. The UDD merely wanted to gather information on possible fraud and was not assembling for any political reason, he said, referring to the NCPO order prohibiting gatherings of five or more people.

“It signifies that people cannot engage with the plebiscite process at all. They can’t even exchange information,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jatuporn will meet with the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights today to discuss rights issues as the country heads to the August referendum on a charter draft.

Jatuporn warned that if the junta did not allow people to take part in the referendum, Prayut would end up like General Suchinda Kraprayoon, the former prime minister who took office during the ‘Black May’ uprising in 1992 and was ousted by protesters following major bloodshed.

Police and military officers yesterday shut down UDD’s fraud watch centres across the country.

National Security Council secretary-general Thawip Netniyom also said yesterday that the UDD plan to open referendum anti-fraud centres has hidden motives. “They are trying to get publicity, which is not right. If they want to ensure fairness and transparency, they can just ring the officials to tip them off about any irregularities,” he said.

With such a mindset from the top, the EC has not invited anybody to observe the voting, although is not banning any foreign agencies from doing so.

EC member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn defended the agency’s position, saying that it had not invited anyone for fear of being of accused of discrimination.

“If we do not invite all agencies, we can be seen as discriminating,” he said.

However, the Election Commissioner stressed that the organisation was ready to assist any foreign agencies that wish to monitor the referendum by providing them with accommodation, interpreters, plus food and drink.

Somchai said that anybody was to free monitor the referendum, from the opening of the ballot boxes to vote counting and other aspects of the nationwide poll.

The EC expects 20 teams of not more than 100 people to observe the referendum, he said, adding that any foreign agencies that do so are required to abide by the law.

Pongsak Chan-on, Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) project coordinator for Thailand, said the organisation was still awaiting approval from the EC to observe the August 7 referendum. But Anfrel had initially received positive feedback from the commission after approaching it for permission, he said.

The international watchdog, however, asked the EC again late last month after reports that the government may ban expressions of opinion in regard to voting in the referendum.

Pongsak, who is also an adviser to We Watch, a domestic watchdog network, said that We Watch had also already discussed its referendum observation plan with the EC. At that time, the EC told the network that the referendum bill did not mention electoral observation by third parties.

Pongsak, however, believed that observation can be carried out, as the referendum law does not actually ban such activity.

“I think the EC should approve observation, since it shows the agency allows people’s participation in the referendum process,” he said.

Somchai, however, gave conflicting statements that Anfrel had not contacted the EC, while EC deputy secretary-general Thanit Sriprathet said Anfrel, plus the Asian Foundation and Bhutan had requested permission to observe the event.

Sakul Suesongtham, director of the Open Forum for Democracy Foundation (P-NET), said the EC had not invited anyone to observe voting in Thailand for many years, but any agencies wanting to do so must inform the commission of their intentions.

He said P-NET would take part in the observation of the referendum by looking into 50 issues, ranging from wrongdoing before and after the voting to the training of voting officials.

P-NET had learnt from the 2007 charter referendum not to jump to conclusions by merely taking into account speculation, hearsay or reports, he stressed.

“Reports were rife that year that soldiers would mobilise voters to vote and pass the 2007 charter draft, but observation showed that the military did not do any such thing,” he said.

Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) member Prapan Naikowit said when he was an EC member, the European Union wanted to monitor the 2007 referendum on the constitution draft. But the Surayud Chulanont government and the EC did not approve the EU request because the agency required referendum information to be submitted to it.

CDC spokesman Amorn Wanitwiwat said he agreed with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that the referendum was entirely an internal affair for the Kingdom, and one in which foreign countries should not be allowed to interfere. But domestic agencies could be allowed to observe the referendum to ensure transparency, he said.

Komsan Phokong, lecturer at Rangsit University’s Faculty of Law, said observation would create public confidence in the referendum results.

The National Council for Peace and Order, however, fears that bodies such as the EU would disseminate adverse publicity against the government, so it did not want the Europeans to observe the referendum, he suggested.

“Adverse publicity could arise from the charter draft’s content and the voting procedures, which may lead to problems for the government later. But if the government has nothing to hide, it need not fear that agencies [such as the EU] will find fault,” he said.

Attasit Pankaew, a lecturer at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Political Science, said the government should allow neutral agencies to observe proceedings on August 7. He noted that under current circumstances, the government has political rivals and some members of the public who do not believe the referendum will be carried out fairly. Doing so would create legitimacy for the charter draft and ensure the transparency of referendum procedures in the eyes the public, the academic said.

“Observers can help the government create this legitimacy and transparency in the process,” he added.

The first page mentions the recent edict by the National Council for Peace and Order to crack down on “influential people” across the country and called on the recipients of the document to make lists of such people.

The document’s second page specifies targeted groups such as politicians, academics and hardcore protest leaders and gives instructions on how to deal with them, including the use of violence – even killing people.

General Piyaphong Klinphan, a spokesperson of the NCPO, said that only the first page of the document was authentic and the second page was false.

He said the authentic part of the document was not confidential and if they were from the same document, both pages should have been stamped as confidential.

NCPO ‘never used violence’

The spokesman said the NCPO had never used any violence.

He said from the initial assessment of the document, it appeared to have been doctored by people who wanted to cause confusion and conflict. He asked people to be thoughtful in reading it and sharing it.

Lt-General Somsak Nillabanjerdkul, chief of the 3rd Army, said the first page of the document was issued by the 38th Military Circle. It was an ordinary order document, he said.

Somsak said the second page did not come from the Military Circle. People with bad intentions might have created it, he added.

He said he had ordered an investigation to try and find the culprits.

In addition, he ordered officers of all agencies to be more cautious in looking after official documents, reasoning that there are people who want to doctor documents to cause confusion among the public.

Maj-General Chainarong Kaewkla, head of the 38th Military Circle, met with soldiers in the circle and called on them to investigate how the document had been leaked, a source at the 38th Military Circle said.

The source said it was the policy of Army commander-in-chief General Theerachai Nakvanich to be strict about the issue.

An initial investigation suggested that the first page of the document was a transcript of a radio message from the 38th Military Circle to its sub-units, the source said, while the second page was not issued by the circle and it could be a fake.

“No. They can’t do it. Authorities do not allow that,” he said, when asked if he had prohibited such a move by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

The UDD plans to open the centre and branches in the provinces at a ceremony to be held today at the group’s office at the Imperial World shopping centre in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao area.

Meanwhile, red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikua yesterday said he did not think the event violated the junta ban on political activities or gatherings. He argued that it was not a political move or gathering.

Nattawut also said the organisers welcomed military and police officers to observe their event, which will be held from 10am to noon today.

In a related development, a survey has found that most people doubt the August 7 referendum on the constitution draft will be free of fraud although they did not support the red shirts forming monitoring centres for the national vote.

More than 52 per cent of respondents said they were not certain that the vote would be free of fraud. Of the 1,233 people surveyed, 35 per cent said they believed there would be fraud in the referendum.

Only 12.6 per cent of the respondents said they were convinced there would be no fraud, citing in the junta’s rigour and control over the situation.

More than three-quarters, or 76.6 per cent of the 1,233 respondents, said monitoring for possible fraud should be done by relevant state authorities, according to results of the opinion poll released yesterday.

The majority of those surveyed said they felt it was illegal and unfeasible for the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) to set up its own monitoring centre.

The survey was conducted by Rajabhat Suan Dusit University from June 13 to 17. It followed controversy stirred up by the UDD’s formation of a centre to look out for fraud in the referendum, with branches in the provinces.

‘Just a political game’

Some authorities including Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, a key man in the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said the UDD centres were against the law. On the other hand, the UDD claimed it only aimed to encourage voters to turn up to vote in the referendum.

Almost 75 per cent of respondents said the centres could be against the law, so setting them up may not be |feasible.

More than 71 per cent of respondents viewed it was just another political game to cook up a debate and pressure the government.

A total of 63.5 per cent said it was controversial and could cause further chaos. And lastly, about 53 per cent said if centres were to be set up, they should take public interest as a priority.

In regard to transparency provided by authorities, 36.67 per cent said they were certain the authorities could manage to hold a transparent referendum while 35.7 per cent said otherwise; and 17 per cent had no confidence at all, as past elections always involved fraud.

Lastly, asked what they wanted to say to the authorities, 78.6 per cent said they wanted the government and the authorities to be more open and listen to opinions of all parties; 75.7 per cent said all procedures should be transparent. And 65 per cent said if any fraud was found, the culprits should face severe punishment.

Meanwhile, academics yesterday warned voters to carefully read the charter draft – not just listen to explanations provided by the drafters.

Speaking at a public seminar “The Constitution Content and Future of the People”, held by Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women (APSW), Sunee Chairos, a scholar from Rangsit University, said that recent explanations might not deliver all the facts about the constitution.

She said voters should consider if the charter provides sufficient rights and participation for the public, noting that drafters had not responded to a proposal submitted by APSW on labour welfare and rights to petition for laws beneficial to the public.

The scholar did not think the charter allows people and independent agencies to maximise the profit of their rights, as it does not include setting up necessary bodies such as law reform panels.

Siripan Noksuan Sawasdee, a lecturer in political science at Chulalongkorn University, said the Article 44 would persist after the new charter is adopted. She questioned when controversy arises which supreme law would be used.

Pairoj Polpetch, an adviser for People’s Assembly for Reform, said the extra question in the referendum, paving way for a junta-appointed Senate to vote on a prime minister, would allow the NCPO to retain power after the new charter was used. He urged people to read the charter thoroughly, not only listen to talk about it.